panniers on rack and small rack bag - panniers hold work clothes and rack bag has cycling stuff like tools, spares, etc. I hate having something on my back, even in sub zero weather it feels hot and sweaty

Panniers on seatpost rack. Backpack too hot for your back and adds weight that your butt has to handle on the saddle. Always a bad thing. Keep as much weight on the bike and off yourself.

I've done backpack on me, mess bag on me, rack trunk, backpack in a grocery pannier on the rear rack, backpack strapped directly to the rear rack, saddlebag panniers, milk crate... haven't had the pleasure (or finances) to explore the Carradice type of saddle mounted bags, nor have I tried any front loaded options.

Of all the ways that I've experimented with, the set-up below was perhaps the most versatile for when I had a multimodal commute, though it did have an impact on the overall performance of the bike if it was too heavily loaded. I now have another beverage crate that is shorter (same length as the rack platform) but the sides are a bit taller (but not as high as a milk crate). I think my next experiment will be with the shorter crate and split the load between me and the bike- I'll carry my essentials and high value items on me and use a waterproof stuff sack for layers to put on the rack.

I'll also add that I'm biased more towards carrying the load on me, simply because I never know if I'll be riding the bike, the bus, hitching a ride, or walking or what- and panniers at my price point aren't that conducive to walking around with.

large ortlieb backpack when commuting. backpack and two panniers when going to the grocery or big box.

My butt is my biggest ASSet.

No, seriously, I'm unusually strong in the thighs and butt, and I have weak arms and shoulders. When I have to do something hard such as carry an air conditioner on stairs, I rest it on my hip and use my legs more than my arms.

So I discovered that carrying my briefcase messenger-style is a lot easier than I expected. And another advantage is that it adds to sprung weight, as opposed to unsprung weight on the bike. Plus it needs less supporting hardware (rack, attaching hardware) than just about anything. There is a limit as to how much I'm willing to carry this way, but it often suits me well.

Backpacks are much harder because of the strain on the neck. They also decrease flexibility and range of motion, which is bad, because it's important to turn your head back to look backwards.

With that said, I often strap whatever I'm carrying to my rack. It takes a lot of time to use bungies to strap down whatever it is, but it's light and cheap to go this way.

Backpacks of any type, at any time are anathema to me for reasons others have expounded on.

Rear rack with saddle baskets and another basket in front. Holds everything!

grocery panniers,and if I plan to haul anything bigger I hitch up an extra trailer behind the dog trailer(she always goes to work).

Panniers are the ideal solution for reasons others have mentioned, except...

Most days I use a very small messenger bag (just about right for a jacket, gloves, pump, tools, etc.), just because it saves me the trouble of having to unhook and then carry the unwieldy bags with me, since I'm not willing to leave them unattended outside for 8 hours. If I want to pick something up at the grocery or just don't want the bag on my back because it's a warm summer day, I can always strap it onto the rack on my bike with a bungee cord. But if I'm planning to carry much (like winter clothing, a big load of groceries, something from the hardware store, etc.) the panniers are always the way to go.

no question. rear rack and pannier. I also have rack pack with all my maintenance tools. I carry lunch container in rack pack and extra clothing in pannier. If I go for a pleasure ride I take the pannier off.

Rear rack with panniers.
If I want to have a fast, light, fair weather spin with a light load, I'm fine with a backpack, but far prefer the pannier setup day in and day out.

The porteur rack can work IF the frame is designed around a front load. I've tried a porteur setup on a "sport road" bike and it was a horrible thing to ride with a load.

I use a rear rack with a milk crate zip tied to it. It makes my commuter very ugly and less of a target for thieves. I notice that at work people try to park near my bike. When I asked a fellow commuter he said my bike's "cone of uglyness" covered adjacent cycles! If I have anything fragile to carry I also use a messenger bag.

A prolonged bout of road construction on my commute route led me to switch from panniers to backpack a couple of years ago -- things in the pannier were getting too beat up, and the pannier mounting hardware suffered repeated fatigue failures. It was pretty clear my commute cargo needed suspension, which meant either a backpack or switching to a full-suspension bike for commuting. With a backpack, the banana in my lunch bag doesn't turn to mush after riding brick streets and hopping curbs.

Backpack and a genuine Coca-Cola Red Plastic Fred Basket!

Front and rear racks, usually panniers on the front. Subject to change due to mood or expediencies.

wish I could say backpack. I like the weight balance that way but I'm such a sweater it makes it awful. I have a basket on a rack at the moment and am going to try putting my bag in it

I just got some nice, easy to put on and take off panniers and I love them. Previously I was strapping a backpack to the rack with bungees. IT did the job, but it squished everything inside. I wore the backpack on my back twice. Ended up with a sweaty back even in 40 degree weather.

I use a rack-mounted trunk bag on most days. On "take my dirty laundry home" days I augment with a single or both panniers.

-G

A man after my own heart, and some good advice.

small backpack (20L) with a roll-top.

The Pendle is so nice I just bought myself a new one... this is the old one.



What I use depends on the bike and what I am doing, I often carry a small rock climbing bag with a hydropack in the summer or use my messenger bag for lighter duty and all my utilitarian / commuter bicycles can accommodate my 3 sizes of panniers or are like my extrabike that has dedicated bags which can be removed and carried by their handles. I also have several handlebar bags which come in very handy.

the drawback to panniers is that they're not modular in their usage profile.

with a small high-quality rucksack/backpack, one can do other things with it:

A) cabin carry-on when flying
B) good for transport on a crowded subway without removal from the back (theft prevention)
C) good for a day hike
D) great for traveling in SE Asia where one gets a small locking box in each room
E) great for fitting into the smallest (and therefore cheapest) lockers at central train stations
F) going rock climbing in the hall or outside

i've found that 20L can hold clothing/lunch for two and a couple laptops or camera equipment, especially when it's designed correctly

roll-tops are really nice because one can put long items in such as baguette/steel bars and still shut the top.

just my .02€

^^^^ Or you can get something like this for those situations and have the best of both worlds:

https://www.bikebagshop.com/ortlieb-v...er-p-1720.html

It does have some things I'm not wild about...which is partially the nature of compromise/do it all products...but it does address these issues. I found this very useful when I was carrying heavy books to a class that also entailed some walking on campus. I think the QR3 system could be better and it's not as good a backpack as a great back pack.

I have a 'trunk bag', panniers, a detachable folding basket, a backpack, and a seat bag. I would say riding with one pannier on the side is what I use the most, followed by the trunk bag.

I tried one of these one once at a local Globetrotter (think REI in the US) and I have to say that there is no way I would do anything active with that bag. It was big/bulky and not contoured to one's back. I'd never go climbing or on a day hike with it for example. To be honest, it felt/looked like the worst of both worlds Not really a good pannier and really awkward on one's back.

After trying it on, I immediately bought the ARC'TERYX bag that I always post and have ridden with a backpack since.